Insights
#180 Progressive Insight
Performance gap: the frustrating gap between how you know something should be done in an ideal world and how you currently do it. One implication of the performance gap: you don’t have to master this skill today. Another implication, maybe even more important: your idea of how something “should be done” is probably wrong anyway. Because
#181 You’re never done
You can labor for years on a business with little results until suddenly it blows up. Then after enjoying your breakthrough, you continue your journey until the next big jump. You’re never done building your business. You can practice a yoga pose for months with little results until suddenly your body understands, and you’re able
#179 Intellectual understanding vs Internalized knowledge
Intellectually understanding that the perfect speech includes a strong opening, humor, a dramatic demonstration, rhetorical elements, and emotional appeal doesn’t mean your next speech will contain those elements right away – and that’s okay. You don’t have to master this today. Intellectually understanding the nuances and body positioning of a yoga pose doesn’t mean the
#178 You don’t have to master this today
Performance gap: the frustrating gap between the way you know something should be done in an ideal world and the way you currently do it. I know I should write daily blog posts in advance so I have a buffer in case something comes up and I don’t get to write. Yet here I am,
#177 Doing, then believing
I won’t believe I can publish a blog post every day – until I publish a blog post every day. I won’t believe I can run a marathon – until I run a marathon. I won’t believe I can speak a foreign language – until I speak a foreign language. I won’t believe I can
#176 Cling and let go
We cling the most, not to our prized possessions we worked hard to obtain, but to the painful patterns that both hurt us AND keep us comfortable. Some questions to ask yourself today: Who do I want to be? Which actions will turn me into the person I want to be? Which actions STOP me
#175 Perpetuating painful comfort
We naturally move towards pleasure and away from pain – with one exception: painful comfort. If you’re used to believing that you’re bad at languages, there’s painful comfort in struggling with languages. If you’re used to negative self-talk, there’s painful comfort in negative self-talk. If you’re used to working 12-hour days, there’s painful comfort in
#174 How to turn faith into trust
You build self-trust by taking actions – Tiny Trust Builders – in alignment with who you want to be. I want to be a writer, and build self-trust by writing every day, even if it’s just one line. I want to learn Portuguese, and build self-trust by practicing every day, even if it’s just 2
#173 Are errors truly errors?
I can believe I’ve published the perfect insight – until I narrate the podcast version a couple of weeks later and suddenly notice subtle typos and, sometimes, logical flaws. The typos and flaws were always there – but did I make a mistake earlier? I can believe I’ve nailed this yoga pose – until, during one session,
#172 The pursuit of failure
I can’t just say, “today, I’m going to be excellent at writing.” Excellence is an outcome: a result of focused daily actions. And one of the fastest ways to excellence is the pursuit of failure. Not just making accidental mistakes but actively seeking them out. Did I write nonsense today? Did I understand why I
#171 The illusion of error-free
Getting better at something isn’t about making no mistakes. It’s not even about making fewer mistakes. It’s about repeating fewer rookie mistakes, so there’s space for you to notice more subtle errors. If you think you’re making fewer mistakes, you’re either not progressing past your current skill level, or you’re not paying attention.
#169 The things you never need to be good at
There’s nothing wrong with striving for excellence when you’re passionate about something. But being passionate doesn’t come with an obligation to be – or even try to become – good. It’s fine to write for the sake of writing, not to write a bestseller novel. Paint for the sake of painting, not to be the